Dear Feelings
by fadefade
Summary: Dawn sets out to become the pokemon champion of Sinnoh. Simple enough, right? But, her gay best friend is just being difficult. Clingyshipping! Lucas/Barry with Dawn playing an important part in it all :D
1. Chapter 1: Beginnings

Summary: Dawn sets out to become the pokemon champion of Sinnoh. Simple enough, right? But, her gay best friend is just being difficult. Clingyshipping!

Author: I wanted to draw, but I get yelled at less when I write, since it looks like I'm doing homework D:...So just a silly Clingysipping story. Probably OOC, but I try not to be. Follows the story line of Platinum with changes (Lucas and Barry show up more).

I took a lot of the dialogue from the game in this chapter (mainly Rowan speeches) so just skip those parts if it's boring.

I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

_**Dear Feelings**_

Dawn found it utterly impossible to drown out even the longest and most repetitive of speeches, especially when they were given by someone as intimidating as Professor Rowan. She sighed and gave a sympathetic glance towards Barry's direction as Professor Rowan continued to bellow on about their youthful idiocy. Barry—poor thing—was fidgety all over from prolonged stillness, but was nonetheless too terrified to move a single voluntary muscle. Dawn kept her head lowered, staring at her shoes for the remainder of the lecture until the stern professor asked an unexpected question.

"You truly love pokemon, do you?"

Before Dawn fully processed the sudden inquiry, Barry blurted out in his usual fervent and slightly cracked voice, "Oh course! We love pokemon!"

The professor furrowed his brows. "I will ask you again. You truly love Pokémon, do you?"

"What? You can ask a hundred times! The answer will never change! We both love Pokémon! Right, Dawn?"

Dawn nodded awkwardly as both males stared at her intensely.

Professor Rowan turned and took a few steps back, mumbling furtively to himself. Barry jerked a thumb and made a face. Dawn merely shrugged; _I don't know either_.

The Professor returned. "A pair of reckless kids who foolishly try to enter tall grass without Pokémon of their own…It worries me what people like that would do with Pokémon."

"If you're going to give us pokemon, then—" Barry pulled Dawn closer to him. "—Forget about me. Give one to my friend here! I mean, it was me who tried to go into the grass and all…"

The professor's brows shot up, which caused both teens to flinch back a little. "How big of you…" he said, "Very well, then! I will entrust you two with Pokémon. _However_, you must promise me that you will never recklessly endanger yourselves again. Now, then… where did I…?"

As the professor eyed around, Barry whirled Dawn around to face him, grabbing on to both of her shoulders and crying out ecstatically, "Can you believe it, Dawn! We're going to get pokemon! It's going to be awes—"

Just then, a boy arduously hauling a bulky brown leather briefcase stumbled to Professor Rowan's side. Attempting to straighten his ruffled jacked and askew beret, the boy huffed between breaths, "Briefcase…you…lake…left it there…"

Dawn heard a small intake of air from Barry, as he loosened his hold on her shoulders. She didn't think very much of it then.

"Ah, well done, Lucas," said Professor Rowan satisfactorily, "What I was about to do was to entrust these two with their own Pokémon."

"_Pardon_? T-These pokemon?" Lucas flabbergasted, "They are hard to replace, and you're just going to give them away?"

"Hm!" The professor stood upright, glaring critically at Lucas, who seemed to shrivel. "We exist side by side with Pokémon. There comes a time when people should meet Pokémon. There is a world that should be explored together. For them, today is that time. The place, right here. Go on!" He turned to Dawn and Barry. "Open the briefcase and choose a Pokémon."

Dawn expected Barry to pounce on the suitcase, but he only stood there instead, as still as a statue. _Very odd._ "I'll go first then?" she asked skeptically. No response.

Dawn peered into the bag, carefully reading each of the descriptions on the pokeballs. She eventually picked the last one, a Piplup.

She stepped back, waiting for Barry to choose his starter, but he only continued to stare straight ahead at Lucas, who tentatively eyed the pokeball in Dawn's hands. Dawn cleared her throat and jabbed an elbow into Barry's stomach, rousing him from his stupor.

"Oi—R-right…," Barry stumbled to the briefcase half-consciously and retrieved a pokeball.

"Very well," Professor Rowan sternly, "And Lucas, you may have Chimchar if you like. I hope you all are happy with your pokemon."

Dawn was delighted really, and she was fully willing to jump around with Barry in celebration. However, with her best friend in such an abnormal state of trance, she found it hard to channel her suppressed joy.

Lucas stared at the pokeball in his hand, biting the corner of his lip.

"Are you not happy with Chimchar, Lucas?" Professor Rowan said with mild surprise.

"W-Would you like T-Turtwig instead!" Barry blurted out and turned beat-red immediately after. Dawn gaped at him; _What is wrong with that boy today?_

"Oh n-no, I'm perfectly fine with Chimchar," Lucas stuttered, "It's…just…I took care of them until now…and it's just a little weird, I guess."

Dawn and Barry both lowered their gaze to the pokeballs in their hands. How hard it must be to give away a companion you have grown close to. Though Lucas needn't to worry, for both Dawn and Barry would never do anything to hurt their new companions.

"Now, listen well," the professor said, "The pokémon you have been entrusted with are unfamiliar with this world. In that regard, they are much like you. As fellow newcomers to the world, I hope you'll do well together. If you have any trouble, come see me at my lab in Sandgem Town. And now, we'll be on our way."

And with that, Professor strode across the patch of grass, with remarkable speed and agility for a gentleman his age.

"Uh, sorry folks," Lucas said as he staggered after Professor Rowan, effort hindered by the heavy briefcase. "Professor! Wait for me!"

Everything was amazingly still for the next few seconds. Dawn had expected Barry to coerce her into a battle, but nothing of that sort happened. Instead, they walked back home at a reasonable pace, with Barry quieter that he had ever been his entire life and Dawn looking worried by his side.

* * *

Author: Let me know if anyone read it D:


	2. Chapter 2: Task

Author: Whoo! Quick update because it's a Columbus Day weekend and I would rather do anything but study ;D

Not that eventful but I just want to get the plot moving. Next chapter would be more Barry centric (get into his head :D).

* * *

_**Dear Feelings**_

Dawn woke up to a barely comprehensible shout from outside her window—something about fining her ¥10 million. She covered her head with her pillow and groaned. She was relieved that Barry was back to his normal spastic-self, but it was way too early in the morning, _way to early_.

"Piiiplup." Piplup perched on the edge of her bed. Dawn glanced at her new partner through her disheveled blue-black hair, and Piplup stared back with those beady eyes of his.

Dawn sighed in defeat. "Fine, let's go." She flipped over the covers and jumped off the bed.

She hurried down the stairs, adjusting her hat and scarf in the process. As she reached the front door, her mom yelled from the kitchen, "Be careful dear! And don't forget to thank Professor Rowan for your pokemon!"

As she emerged from the entrance to Littleroot, Barry was already waiting by Route 201, looking as agitated as usual. "Too slow! I'm sick of waiting! We have to go see Professor Rowan, so we can thank him properly!"

"Yeah, I know but—whoa!" Barry took the liberty to sprint off as fast as he could while dragging Dawn by her wrist. And, with Barry thrashing through the tall grass at a demonic speed, and Dawn stumbling close behind, screaming for him to slow down, no wild pokemon dared to attack them.

It seemed that they would arrive at Sandgem Town at record time, until a boy with a red beret came into sight at the entrance, which triggered Barry to skid to a halt and Dawn to crash into his back. They stumbled and rolled and toppled over in front of Lucas's feet.

"Oh God…are you guys okay?" Lucas said in disbelief, trying to comprehend the calamity that just occurred.

"Ugh!" Dawn lifted herself off the ground immediately and threw her dusty hat at Barry below. "Never, _ever_ do that again!"

"Are you…hurt?" Lucas knelt down and placed a hand on the immobile boy. Barry jolted back to life instantly and scrambled away from the touch.

While Dawn straightened herself up, still feeling quite miffed, she found herself being dragged by her wrist again. This time the culprit was Lucas, who was hauling both her and Barry into a nearby house, Professor Rowan's laboratory.

"The prof's been waiting for you."

* * *

Professor Rowan requested Dawn and Barry to aid him on an important task that will improve human understanding of the pokemon world, and with the professor's air of high expectation and Lucas' enthusiasm, there was no way they could decline. Dawn didn't mind too much though, for the thought of traveling around Sinnoh and collecting data seemed pleasant actually. And most important of all, she got to keep Piplup.

"I'm also going to help Professor Rowan add more pages to the pokedex," Lucas beamed, "So that means we're working towards the same goal, right? I'll teach you guys stuff later, okay?"

Dawn smiled only because she didn't know what else to do. Apparently, she was the only one who felt that the whole assignment was somewhat abrupt and demanding. And Barry chose the perfect time to return to his cocoon of oblivion—silent and motionless and breathing only enough to keep himself alive. _Wonderful._

As Dawn took Barry's limp wrist and exited Professor Rowan's laboratory, Lucas was already waiting outside. Barry squirmed a little and Dawn tightened her grip, the way a mother would do to her anxious child.

"I wanted to show you guys around," Lucas said motioning for them to follow him. Dawn was met with some resistance but eventually succeeded in dragging Barry along.

"The pokemon center and pokemart are going to be really useful along the way…Oh!" Lucas suddenly stopped walking, causing Dawn and Barry to bump into each other. "You should let your family know you're helping Professor Rowan put together his pokedex. Sometimes, you have to go far away, so you should let someone know…"

And with that, Barry backed away from the group. Two sets of puzzled eyes followed him, as he sped off without any warning, and before long he was out of sight.

"…He…doesn't like me very much, does he?" Lucas sighed.

Dawn stared into the distance where the boy vanished. "No…I'm sure that's not it…"

* * *

Author: Feedback, criticism, corrections in grammar, ANYTHING welcome ;D


	3. Chapter 3: Figurines

Author: I don't have time anymore for anything D:

* * *

_**Dear Feelings**_

Dawn raced through Route 201, legs rustling against the wild grass and lungs burning with each intake of air. She held a bundle, carefully wrapped with motherly care, in her left hand, and the pokeball containing Piplup in her right, fully prepared to counter any wild pokemon that dared to cross her in her rage.

_Stupid Barry. _

How many more times is he going run off without giving the least bit of concern for consequences? How many more times will Dawn be forced to play catch up and sweep up the mess he left behind? And worst of all, she was looking forward to traveling with Barry. _Isn't that what best friends do?_

_He better hope he got a good head start_, Dawn thought bitterly, _because I'm going to beat the daylights out of him once I catch up._

_

* * *

_

A wounded Starly disappeared in a flash of red, captured securely inside a pokeball with barely a sign of struggle. An ecstatic blonde dashed to the site of capture and picked the pokeball up with triumph.

"We caught it! We caught our first pokemon!"

Barry knelt down and placed a hand on Turtwig in approval. Turtwig was a good pokemon, hard working and well mannered, and the signs of diligent training were evident…_but_ _the person responsible for that would be Lucas_. Barry frowned as his mind drifted back to Lucas again. There was something about that boy that made Barry's breathe hitch and heart race, and his primary instinct was to flee as quickly as possible in order to escape that desperate suffocation. He wished that wasn't the case though. Lucas was a passionate trainer, a decent person, and no doubt a good friend to have. And Barry wanted to beat himself for feeling so bizarre.

Turtwig gazed up at his trainer in concern, and Barry immediately shook himself out of his trance. "You must be tired," he said, perking up again, "Let's go back to the pokemon center."

As they prepared head back to Sandgem town, to Barry's surprise, he saw Lucas and Dawn slowly making their way up the route.

"Oh, God!" Barry cried out in mortification.

Turtwig, on the other hand, was eagerly willing to greet his former trainer, until Barry grabbed him by his shell.

"Please, please, please," Barry begged frantically, bowing his head and clasping his hands together, "I know he's your formal trainer and all. But I just _can't_!"

Turtwig looked at Barry skeptically, but eventually gave in to his pleading sunset hued eyes.

"Alright!" Barry leaped up and looked around, holding Turtwig under his arm. "What to do. What to do."

They couldn't return to Sandgem with Lucas and Dawn advancing from that way, and Barry didn't want to risk a battle with looming trainers blocking the path to Jubilife City, especially when Turtwig wasn't in perfect health.

"Okay!" Barry pointed upwards. "Let's go up that tree!"

As Barry hastily scrambled up the trunk of a nearby tree, Turtwig sighed. _Being a pokemon sure can be difficult._ Once safely hidden among the leaves, Barry and Turtwig peered down at the two trainers below.

"I'll show you how to catch a pokemon, so just watch okay?" Lucas said to Dawn as he released Chimchar from his pokeball.

"You're going to catch _that_ pokemon?" Dawn pointed to a dozy Bidoof, completely unaware that he had fallen prey to a young, eager trainer.

"_Okay_." Lucas rubbed the back of his head. "It might not be a battling pokemon—"

"Or a contest pokemon," Dawn interjected.

"Right. I'm sure my sister will like it." Lucas stood before the Bidoof intrepidly. "Now! Go Chimchar!"

In the meantime, Barry observed the pair from atop of the tree. He was relieved that he moved swiftly enough to avoid their notice, but silently pouted at the fact that Lucas never offered to teach him how to catch a pokemon.

_That's because you ran away, stupid._

Barry sighed and returned his attention to the pair. They seemed so perfectly compatible—Lucas and Dawn—like figurines from the same mold, with their identical shade of black-blue hair, same dark eyes, and even the same red scarf for goodness sakes. If they weren't siblings, Barry frowned, they must be soul mates…

Just then, a Kricketot descended from the branches above, hovering only inches from Barry's face. And consequently, Barry panicked, flailing his arms and desperately trying to hold back a scream. Without hesitation, Turtwig bravely jumped in front of his trainer, tackling the Kricketot and knocking the wild pokemon back. The Kricketot shriveled into a ball and began to redden and steam.

"Oh! Oh God!" Barry cried out in horror. "It's using bide! W-we have too—"

Before long, the Kricketot began to glow, emitting explosive energy. Barry grabbed Turtwig before leaping impulsively from the branch. They narrowly evaded the blast, landing in a dusty heap under the tree. The commotion was enough to capture Lucas and Dawn's attention, as they rushed to the site of the ruckus.

"Barry! What happened? Are you okay?" Dawn cried out upon recognizing her best friend's immobile form from the settling dust.

"Yeah…" Barry said weakly as he sat up. "Fell from the tree…"

"What were you doing up in the tree?" Lucas stared at him with dark perplexed eyes, and Barry felt all of his blood rushing to his cheeks for some unfathomable reason.

"Y-You see—well—" Barry stuttered as he scrambled his brain for an explanation. He couldn't admit that he was hiding and then spying. He would murder himself before he did. "M-My…Turtwig was stuck in the tree!"

Turtwig looked up as his trained peevishly as Barry continued to turn into darker shades of red.

"I-I didn't know Turtwig could climb…" Lucas blinked a few times, while Dawn narrowed her eyes, obviously unfooled. By now, she had a pretty good idea why Barry had been acting so strangely.

"D-Doesn't matter! I have to go to the pokemon center!"

As Barry staggered to get up, a shooting pain from his left ankle caused him to topple, and both Dawn and Lucas rushed to support him. Barry flinched away from Lucas on contact and wrapped himself around Dawn, almost causing both of them to fall over.

"My ankle hurts…" Barry nervously explained himself to a rather irritated Dawn.

"I'll help you," Lucas said as he attempted to pry the fidgety blond away.

"No! Wait—What? W-Why?" Barry flabbergasted, tightening his grip.

"Dawn's a girl." Lucas smiled in a charmingly mischievous way that made Barry's throat clog up. "Girl's should get the lighter load after all."

Dawn's eye twitched; it seemed that everyone was out to aggravate her today. As Lucas lifted a rather stiff Barry onto his back, Dawn offered to carry Turtwig back to Sandgem. Barry, refusing to wrap his arms around Lucas' neck, placed his hands on Lucas' shoulders, avoiding as much contact as possible. However, with each step Lucas took, his back would rub a little against the inside of Barry's thighs. _Oh, have mercy!_

And the rest of their short journey remained awkward and silent, with the exception of Barry's frantic heartbeat.

* * *

Author: I hope to update weekly, but these little chapters are taking too long ;A;

And I want to draw too…


	4. Chapter 4: Night

Author: Woohoo Chapter 4. Haven't tackled this thing in awhile. Kind of short. Lots of dialogue. Enjoy :D

* * *

_**Dear Feelings**_

Sleepless nights were always a nuisance. Barry was exhausted, to be honest, but every time he drifted to semi-consciousness, he would have a long, epic dream about a certain boy with blue-black hair. And every time he woke up again, he would be engulfed with this empty, forlorn feeling, only to find that five minutes had passed since he last checked the clock. By the umpteenth time he went through this cycle, Barry sat up in his bed, ruffling his hair in frustration. He glanced to his right to find Dawn awake in her bed across the room, staring intently at him with her dark, steady eyes.

Barry tensed a bit. "Do you always stare at me like that when I'm asleep?"

"You were moving a lot, and making a lot of noise." Dawn sat up as well.

"Oh, sorry…" Barry looked down at his hands.

"Just because you can't fall asleep, you have to ruin sleep for everyone else."

"Hey, I don't do that on purpose," Barry said, clearly agitated, "No one told you to share a room with me. I'm sure there are plenty of other _quieter _rooms in the pokemon center. Why don't you just go—"

"And leave you here wallowing in your own frustration and self-pity?" Dawn got out of her bed and walked over to his. "Tell me what's wrong. You'll feel better."

Barry flustered and flustered, but manages to convey his thoughts and feelings after a lot of hand gestures, gulps, and semi-coherent sentences. Dawn held back her laughter as much as she could but was clearly unsuccessful.

"You're laughing at me." Barry frowned. "_Why _are you laughing at me?"

"B-Because," Dawn declared through giggles before breaking out into full-blown laughter, "You have the hots for Lucas!"

"Sh-shhh!" Barry shoved his pillow into Dawn's face, fearing some nosy insomniac trainer next door would hear. "Don't say it like that! And what's so funny? You know I'm gay."

Dawn pushed the pillow out of her face. "Yeah, but the way you act. Gay men are still _men _nonetheless, but you're practically a woman."

"Ugh!" Barry flabbergasted, clearly annoyed, and commenced with shoving the pillow into Dawn's face.

"S-stop!" Dawn cried out through muffled laughter. "Are you trying to kill me?"

* * *

After both of them calmed down, they sat adjacent to each other on the bed with Barry hugging his pillow.

"_You _don't like him, do you?" Barry finally said after a long silence.

"Just because you have the hots for him, doesn't mean everyone else has it too," Dawn said jokingly, on the verge of laughter again.

"That's not what I meant." Barry huffed in annoyance. "You guys seem pretty close, that's all…"

"We've become friends." Dawn shifted to face her best friend. "Why do you like him?"

Barry stared at the ceiling, contemplating. "I don't know. I guess he reminds me of you. He looks like you. Same hair, same eyes…"

"Oh?" Dawn smiled cheekily. "I'm flattered."

"Yeah." Barry turned, smiling with equal mischief, "I would totally dig you if I were straight. But I'm not. Girls are gross. You're gross."

It was Dawn's turn to shove the pillow into Barry's face.

* * *

After another pillow struggle, both lay exhausted on their respective beds.

"Do you think he's gay?" Barry breathed out.

"Lucas? I don't know. Maybe. He does wear a beret…"

"Good thing you don't like him, Dawn." Barry said with renewed smugness.

"Oh?"

"You can't possible think you're any match for me."

"You're joking."

"Not even with your super, short, pink skirt." Barry grinned.

"It is a universal truth that pink skirts will turn gay men straight…and straight women lesbian," Dawn said with mock suggestiveness.

"Oh, _Dawn_," Barry drawled, "I'm afraid you're not as straight as you used to be."

"Yes, you're a terrible influence."

"Let's have a little competition then. The first to determine Lucas' sexuality wins."

Dawn laughed. "This is so stupid."

"You are tempted?"

"I won't lose."

* * *

By the time Lucas entered the pokemon center, both Dawn and Barry were dressed and ready. They stared at him intently, smiling. Lucas suddenly became less cheerful and more self-conscious.

"You guys…umm…look nice today." Lucas said tentatively as he noticed that neither of them had a single crease on their clothes or a hair out of place. As a matter of fact, they seemed to glow. Lucas caught a whiff of perfume. Coming from which person, he was not sure.

"Okay, then." Dawn stepped towards him and Barry followed with unusual boldness, "Let's go."

They stepped out of the pokemon center, with Dawn and Barry on either side of Lucas, smiling secretively. Lucas couldn't help but feel as if he was missing something.

* * *

Author: Honestly, I have no idea where I'm going with this.

I initially planned to make up short adventures as they travel through Sinnoh, but I'm afraid that I'm not creative enough ;A;

Please review and tell me how I'm doing. It keeps me motivated ;3;


	5. Chapter 5: Game

Author: Thank you everyone for reviewing. I realize that I don't update often, due to lack of time and inspiration. I'm probably one of the slowest writer you will ever come across…haha ^^;;

But I try!

_**Dear Feelings**_

Barry and Dawn agreed on a system. It was nearly impossible for them to investigate Lucas's sexuality when all three of them were together. Thus, they decided that each would get a time span of two to three hours per day for individual exploration. They flipped for it, and Barry attained the luxury of going first. Dawn didn't mind the least. When it came to deciphering a person's sexuality, Dawn was no doubt an amateur. After all, the only gay person she had ever encountered was Barry. Barry, on the other hand, definitely had the upper edge, and he wasn't too meek about it either, always bragging about his "gaydar." The mechanisms behind that device, Dawn had not yet fathomed.

Thus, once the trio arrived in Jubilife City, Dawn promptly detached herself from the group and marched into the trainer school, evading piles of pokemon books and annoying student trainers. She took a seat in front of the computer and typed in the search engine, "How to tell if a guy is gay?"

For the next half hour, Dawn perched motionlessly in front of the computer screen with her brows furrowed and fingers to her lips. She already jotted down some useful advice on deciphering sexuality, but one link lead to another, and somehow Dawn found herself looking at a blatant visual example of what "yaoi" is.

Just then, at the most inopportune time, a pesky school boy snuck behind her, and asked in a nasally voice, "Hey, you've been there for a really long time. Did you find some useful information about Pokemon? Let me see."

Dawn squeaked out of pure terror, throwing herself onto the computer screen and shaking her head profusely.

"Hey, this is a school," the school boy pulled a Dawn, trying to pry her off from the screen, "Don't be so stingy. We are all here to learn."

"Oh, I guarantee you," Dawn laughed nervously, sweating a little, "This has absolutely nothing to do with pokemon."

"Oh, _really_?" The school scrunched his nose and pushed up his glasses. "I'm telling academy instructor then. The internet is only for researching about pokemon!"

As the boy turned to depart, Dawn quickly closed the page before grabbing the school boy's shirt collar and pulling him back with unfound strength.

"What's your name, little boy?" Dawn inquired, smiling in the most conniving and menacing manner.

"H-Harrison…" The school boy gasped out, terrified out of his mind.

"Professor Rowan gave me a pretty rare pokemon, a Piplup. And I caught a Shinx earlier today." Dawn pronounced each syllable with deliberate evilness. "I'll show you, if you want. _Actually_, I'll battle you, but if I win, you have to keep your mouth shut. Got it?"

The boy nodded, quivering out of fear, anticipation, or perhaps, a mixture of both. Dawn smiled triumphantly, taking out a pokeball and releasing the little monster kept within.

By the time Dawn stepped out of the trainer school, the sun was already setting. As the street lights of Jubilife illuminated one by one, Dawn noticed a familiar dark-haired boy standing before the pokemon center with a Starly on his shoulder.

"Hey, Lucas!" Dawn called out and walked over. "Where's Barry?"

"Oi," Lucas turned and waved, "I don't know. We had a battle, and then he ran off. Haven't seen him since."

"How did it turn out?" _They only battled?_

"Our Starlys were pretty evenly matched, but Chimchar took out Turtwig in the end. There was a type advantage…"

"Oh, alright." _Barry lost to Lucas, huh? Wonder how he's taking it._

It's getting a bit late." Dawn looked around. "We should find him before the pokemon center closes.

"Uhh, who's _that_?" Lucas asked, as his attention was captured by an uncanny character, clad in a classic trench coat, leaping from light post to light post.

The shady figure froze immediately upon realizing that his presence was detected by the two youths. He skidded over to Lucas and Dawn, eyeing them with shock and suspicion. "How did you know?" the man said with deliberate intensity and slowness. "How did you unmask me as a member of the International police?"

"The what—" Lucas began but was immediately cut off.

"You recognized right away that I was someone extraordinary. Your power of observation is fearsome! Quite admirable, you are! ..." The crazy spazz of a man continued, and Dawn contemplated over whether to slowly back away or not, "Now that my cover is blown, let me introduce myself. I am a globe trotting elite of the International Police. My name... Ah, no, I shall only inform you of my codename. My codename, it is Looker. It is what they all call me. Incidentally, is the saying "Don't be a thief!" familiar to you?"

Looker droned on, as Lucas gaped, opening and closing his mouth periodically, unsure of when to interrupt the man without appearing rude. After all, who knows what disaster insanity may unleash?

"Also, I have a request," Looker said, nearing the end of his speech, "If you were to see me again, I ask that you not to talk to me, for I am on duty. ...Actually, yes, yes, you may talk to me. You must. Not because I am lonely, No, no! You must inform me of bad guys! You must inform me of happenings!"

And with that, the Looker dashed off heroically at lightning speed. Dawn's eye twitched.

"That was just…abnormal." Lucas said in his momentary stupor.

"I …" Dawn mouthed out, still very much stunned, "I'm sure that might come in handy one of these days…"

"No. Freaking. Way."

Lucas and Dawn found Barry sprawled out on a grassy path of Route 203, staring blankly at the dark skies above, with Turtwig lying close to his heaving chest. Both the pokemon and the trainer were fully clad in dirt and sweat, and while Turtwig was passed out from exhaustion, Barry was well alert, his face frozen in some frantic expression.

"Hey, man," Lucas said as he and Dawn hastily approached the collapsed teen, "Are you okay?"

Barry's eyes quickly darted to the other boy. "You…me…rematch…now…please."

"You've got to be kidding me." Dawn buried her forehead in her palm.

Lucas chuckled. "Kind of late for that, don't you think? How about we save some energy for the gym tomorrow?"

Barry mumbled, which the other teens could only interpret as reluctant agreement as the blonde arduously propped himself.

"Need a hand?" Lucas bent over and offered a limb which Barry evaded as if it were venomous.

"N-No. I'm fine really," Barry said humbly as he clumsily staggered to his feet, with Turtwig under his arm. He managed to stumble about five feet in the wrong direction before collapsing onto the grassy patch again.

Lucas scratched the back of his head. "What a troublesome guy."

Dawn sighed. "You have no idea."

Author: Okay, I'll end here today, because I don't know what to write anymore. Haha…

So I got suggestions about giving Dawn a love interest (though that would probably come way later when they meet more interesting people), following the anime story line (kind of hard since I haven't watched the anime since Johto OTL), and using the word "epic"?

Yeah, so comments, criticisms, anything, welcome ;D


	6. Chapter 6: Misfortune

Author: I seriously was giving up on fic writing, but I got a lot of reviews asking me to continue this recent month, so yeah. I hope you guys are proud of yourselves for getting me to update again. OTL

It's fine. I can also practice speed typing with this~~

***Oh and I added a bit to the last chapter to help connect it with this chapter.***

_**Dear Feelings**_

This was really embarrassing, Dawn thought. Barry was the first to defeat Roark. And Lucas was next, despite both of his pokemon having a type disadvantage. And here Dawn was, struggling profusely to even produce a counter attack against Roark's Cranidos.

Cranidos hit Piplup with another Headbutt, and Piplup flinched. _Ah, God damn it!_

Dawn shouldn't feel embarrassed. Even though Roark was a new gym leader, he was still a gym leader, and gym leaders were tough. Rookie trainers like Barry and Lucas weren't supposed to defeat gym leaders on their first shot._Damn over-achievers..._

So why were Barry and Lucas successful? Because they spent all of their spare time training while Dawn…_the yaoi_…

"What are you doing? He almost got you!" Barry shouted from the sidelines.

Dawn shook her head to rid of the thought. Now was not the time to be thinking of such nonsense.

"Piplup! Bubble!" Dawn yelled as her last attempt, and luckily that was enough to defeat Roark's Cranidos, but just barely though.

"Ah, man…" Roark said as he scratched the back of his head, having exhausted his "buffed up Pokemon" complaint. "I was hoping to defeat at least one of you today…"

"Hey, guys?" Dawn said shyly as the three exited the Oreburgh gym, "Can we stick around here for awhile? Maybe train a little? I don't think I'm ready to move on yet."

Lucas gave Dawn a sympathetic smile. "Of course. Want to go to the mine? I wanted to see it since the beginning."

"And I want to catch an Onix." Barry said defiantly, as he marched on forward, ahead of the other two. "Didn't you think Roark's Onix was really cool? I'm sure they have those in the mine."

Dawn smiled. She wasn't sure if the boys actually had interest in the mine, or if they were feigning interest for the sake of her pride, but either way, she took it.

"I-I said I wanted an Onix, didn't I?" Barry declared defensively, "And I had to attack it to catch it."

"Then, why don't you catch it before it kills us, idiot?" Dawn screamed, obviously miffed, as she narrowly evaded another swing from the giant stone serpent's tail.

"I'm trying, okay? This one is just…really, really big!" Barry staggered closer to the Onix, as Turtwig fired another series of razor leaves.

"You sure you don't want us to help weaken it?" Lucas said as he helped Dawn to her feet.

"N-No, I got this. I—" Barry suddenly lost his footing as the giant Onix dove underground, causing wavering instability to all the stone structures around. "Oh snap, I didn't know it could do _that_…"

The lost Onix soon became the least of their worries as much of the rock ceiling came tumbling downward. In matter of seconds, Barry lost sight of the other two as a solid stone wall formed between them. He quickly returned Turtwig back into his pokeball, and hastily began to pile away at the boulders before him.

"Dawn! Lucas!" Barry yelled, hoping desperately that his voice could find a way through the tight nooks of the obstacle before him. "Are you two okay?"

"We're fine!" Lucas's voice returned to Barry, "I think you're on the side with the exit. Go get help from the mine workers, or from Roark!"

"Is Dawn okay?" Barry shouted again, full of concern.

"Yeah, she is! We're all okay!"

"Why isn't she saying anything?"

There was a pause. "She said she's really mad at you! Just go, Barry, before anything else attacks us!"

"Okay, hang in there, guys!" Barry sighed, before speeding off as fast as humanly possible.

Time sure stops when you're stuck in a cave with nothing to do, Dawn thought, or maybe Barry was just taking his sweet time. But then again, considering Barry's hyperactivity, procrastination didn't really suit him. She glanced at Lucas from time to time, nodding along to the idle chit-chat he made, not entirely paying attention because the question of his sexuality was still fresh in her head.

"Oh, I'm an idiot!" Lucas suddenly smacked his forehead loudly, snapping Dawn out of her thoughts, "We had this all along." Lucas took out the HM Rock Smash he won from Roark and held it in front of Dawn for emphasis.

Dawn furrowed her eyebrows. "But none of our pokemon can learn that."

Lucas smugly wagged a finger at Dawn. "But you forget. My secret weapon." And in a flash of red light, Bidoof was released from his pokeball.

Dawn stared at the pokemon and trainer incredulously. "You've got to be kidding me."

"He's the only one who can learn Rock Smash," Lucas said protectively, as he placed the HM to Bidoof's head, "You should be more grateful actually. He's getting us out of here."

Dawn rolled her eyes as Lucas patted his esteemed pokemon on the back. "Okay, boy. Rock Smash!"

The sluggish pokemon slowly inched his way towards a rock, tapping it lightly with his tail for a series of minutes before the rock finally crumbled.

Dawn sighed. "This is going to take forever, isn't it?"

By the time Barry returned with help, Bidoof managed to smash through three boulders before collapsing into a pile of exhausted mess. Lucas patted the pokemon sympathetically on the back before returning him. "You did well."

"Alright, stand back kids!" They heard a worker bellow from the other side of the wall before a Machoke muscled through the stone barrier with little effort.

The sheer force of that attack was enough to knock Lucas and Dawn to the ground in a tangle of limbs. And due to the shock of witnessing such an awesome rock smash, they didn't even realize the compromising position they were in as Barry and the workers stepped through the rubble.

Dawn only snapped out of it when she realized the pained expression of shock, envy, and betrayal on Barry's face. And of course, by then, it was too late in so many ways.

"G-Get off of me!" Dawn shoved Lucas, and the boy complied almost immediately.

"I-I'm sorry. You know I didn't do that on purpose." Lucas rubbed at a bruise forming on his arm where Dawn had not-so-gently punched him.

"I know…" Dawn said solemnly as she turned to the newly formed hole in the wall, and of course, Barry was gone.

Author: Yeah, so I set myself up for angst. And I still have no idea where I'm going with this.

The separations in all of my chapters got messed up, so I'll go and fix them now. Sorry if you guys get a million messages.

Lol and review if you like it please~


	7. Chapter 7: Crime

Author: I restarted my Platinum game for inspiration, and amazingly it did help.

And I decided to give my chapters names.

* * *

_**Dear Feelings**_

"Barry!" Dawn yelled as she searched through Oreburgh, dashing past houses and people until everyone and everything became a blur of beige and mahogany. The sun was close to setting, painting the land and skies in vivid hues of orange, and Dawn was determined to find her best friend before everything faded to black. As she emerged from the city to Route 207, she discovered a cyclist amusedly watching a blonde boy on top of a Ponyta. _Barry._

"What is he doing?" Dawn slowly approached the cyclist, her questioning eyes never leaving Barry.

The cyclist grinned. "That kid wanted to get to Eterna, but I said you can't get past the slopes without a bike. So the genius decided to catch a Ponyta and try to gallop his way up there. It won't be pretty."

"Barry, you idiot, get down here before you hurt the horse!" Dawn pushed past the cyclist, but her fury quickly dissipated when Barry abruptly turned to her, angry tear streaks staining his face.

Dawn immediately softened her tone. "You're not being rational right now. Please get down before you injure yourself—"

"Go away, Dawn!" Barry half-sobbed and half-yelled.

"There are other ways to get to Eterna."

"I-I don't care!" The frustrated boy snapped back. "You can go that way, but I'm going this way!"

Dawn was seriously starting to worry. "Barry, listen to me—"

"Aww, come on!" The cyclist, long forgotten by either teen, complained in the background. "Just let the kid try it. He'll learn his lesson soon enough."

"Do you want to battle?" Dawn swung her head back, ready to bite the guy's head off, "Cause I swear, I _will_ battle you!"

"Alright, alright." The cyclist raised both hands in surrender, before slowly peddling his way back to Oreburgh..

Dawn regained her composure before returning to the more serious problem. "Okay now, get down from there. I won't be able to haul you back to the Pokemon Center by myself, you know?"

Barry stared blankly into the orange sky. "What if he's straight?"

Dawn blinked. "What?"

"What if Lucas is straight?" Barry repeated impatiently. "That'll be the worst thing ever!"

Dawn fought the urge to roll her eyes as she snatched few papers from her bag. "Roughly a quarter of the population is gay. And many straight men have gay sex, despite being married…to a woman, I assume. Nearly 10% of all married men in this survey reported homosexual behavior in the past month…What I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't become all suicidal before we even find out for sure."

Barry stared at his best friend incredulously. "You did _research_?"

Dawn blushed. "I-It's not like I have a _gaydar_!"

"Anyways, even if he were gay, it doesn't mean that he'll like me." Barry remained defiant on top of his Ponyta.

Dawn sighed. "You are a very gorgeous human being. Your blond hair, flawless. Your eyes the exact hue of an early sunset. Your teeth, perfect…Your _body_—"

"Okay, okay, I got it." Barry descended from his pokemon, hiding a small grin.

Dawn grinned too. "You just wanted to hear me say it, didn't you?"

* * *

"Lucas went back to Jubilife without us?" Barry asked as he and Dawn approached the brightly lit city, long after sunset.

"Yeah, he got a call from Professor Rowan…not because he didn't _care_ about you."

Barry blushed. "T-That's not what I meant!"

"Then stop asking me the same question!"

A familiar dark figure in a drench coat dashed into the open street before the two teens. "Tell me," he whispered, "have you not obtained a Pal Pad?"

Barry, still slightly upset from before, responded coldly, "Whatever you're selling, we don't want it."

"No, no," the dark figure continued, "A Pal Pad is free to anyone visiting the Pokemon Center's basement." He paused, sweeping his gaze steadily over the city streets intuitively. "There appears to be no one shady in this city. I shall take my investigation elsewhere. But, my friends, I suggest you remain vigilant!" And with this, the Looker sprinted away sporadically.

"Who the hell was that?" Barry turned to Dawn in disbelief.

Dawn hesitantly replied, trying to salvage the information she had long forgotten since her last encounter with the Looker. "His codename is the Looker. He's some international detective or something…He's nobody. Don't worry about it…Want a Pal Pad?"

Barry shrugged. "Yeah, why not."

* * *

Dawn and Barry each left the Pokemon Center with a Pal Pad after some woman named Teala gave a wordy explanation about friends and Wi-Fi. Evidently, Dawn couldn't think of a use for her Pal-Pad yet. Her only friends were Barry and Lucas, and they were both in easy reach.

"Hey, look over there!" Barry pulled at Dawn's arm before pointing to the end of the street. "Isn't that Professor Rowan and Lucas?"

Dawn squinted. "Who are those other people? They look like spacemen."

"I don't know," Barry said as he took Dawn's wrist, steadily pulling the other along, "Let's go see."

"Now, now, now, Professor Rowan." One of the mysterious men smugly towered over the defiant professor. "Hand over all your research findings. Failure to comply will result in a painful time for your assistant.

The professor narrowed his eyes, replying bitingly. "Quiet you lot! Why must you be such a nuisance? Let me list some lessons you still need to learn. One. Don't loiter about for no good reason. Two. Don't interrupt while others are attempting to converse. Three. If you don't get your way, don't raise your voice to be intimidating. Four. Don't think you've grown strong just because you're in a group. Five. What is with the outlandish outfits you have on?...You call yourselves adults?" The professor paused, shaking his head. "What sorry specimens."

"Eeeeeeh!" The stranger in the space suit lost it. "You had to make this personal! We will make you regret insulting Team Galactic!" And with the snap of his finger, the other grunt punched Lucas square in the jaw, causing the boy to tumble over.

"T-They're robbers!" Dawn, still a good distance away, quickly realized. "We have to do something, Barry. Barry?"

Dawn blinked, only to find that Barry was no longer beside her tugging at her wrist, but well ahead, running towards the others at full throttle.

"Damn!" Dawn quickly chased after the blonde, obviously no match to his godly speed. _Where is that International Police guy when you needed him?_

_

* * *

_

Author: I feed off of reviews :)


	8. Chapter 8: Dense

Author: Bad news. I'm going to college soon, so I probably won't be able to update as quickly….And I don't update quickly to begin with orz;;

Some questions and comments that I would like to respond to right now.

**Will I be writing smut?** I probably won't. Writing intimate scenes is too weird for me.

**The length of my chapters?** Can't get longer because then it'll be a drag to write, just like for my other fic orz;;

**Taking dialogue from the game?** I'll do that when I feel it's necessary, because key dialogues really help me move the plot.

Thank you for those who read and reviewed :)

* * *

_**Dear Feelings **_

Up until now, Dawn had never realized just how slow she was. By the time she stumbled to Professor Rowan's side, hair a mess and lungs burning from exertion, Barry had already tackled one of the spacemen to the ground, and Lucas, well recovered, was fighting with the other over Professor Rowan's briefcase.

"Ah, Dawn," Professor Rowan turned to her, too calmly, "Well, how is the Pokedex progressing? Hm! That's the Oreburgh's Gym badge I see? But hadn't—"

"What are those idiots doing?" Dawn burst out, cutting off the Professor as she fully absorbed the calamity before her. "Use your pokemon, damn it! Ugh!...Hold that thought, Professor." Dawn quickly excused herself before taking out her two pokeballs, looking quite pissed.

The professor nodded. "Perhaps being a trainer is like second nature to you."

Shinx and Piplup appeared in a flash of red as Dawn prepared herself to enter the fight. "Okay, Shinx. Use Spark!" Dawn pointed towards the others, and soon the dark city street was glowing with blue electricity.

A brief moment of silence followed.

"Dawn….That hurt." Barry finally broke the peace, separating himself from the Galactic grunt, appearing quite charred and quite miffed.

"You weren't supposed to hit us too." Lucas said from a few feet away, finally won the possession of the briefcase.

Dawn showed no signs of remorse. "Quit getting yourselves beat up and use your pokemon already!"

"I could have handled these jerks myself…" Barry sulked to himself, but took out his pokeball anyway, to avoid being shocked again. Lucas complied without any retort, and Turtwig and Chimchar both appeared quickly afterwards.

The two grunts released their Stunky and Glameow as well. "Hey, hey!" One of them protested. "Three against two. That's not fair!"

"If you're going to mug someone," Dawn said darkly, glaring daggers, "The last thing you can complain about is playing fair. Piplup, bubble."

"Chimchar, ember!"

"Turtwig, razor leaf!"

There were a series for small explosions and winds and smoke before both grunts returned their pokemon. "How is this madness possible? Us two losing to children?" One of the grunts gasped out, stumbling from the attack.

"The mission is a failure." The other grunt said, backing up as well. "You leave us no option, we will retreat for now."

The two grunts made a run for the exit to Route 204, before the more daring one swung around, yelling angrily. "You might have forced us to withdraw but Team Galactic is benevolent to all so—"

"What? You still want to fight?" Dawn snapped back, causing both grunts to jump a little. "Because I _will_ beat the crap out of you. And don't think I'm the type to lose interest once you stop moving either!"

The two grunts commenced with their escape, whispering furtively amongst themselves. "Th-That little girl is really scary….for a little girl I mean." "Shut up! And if the boss asks, we got beaten by sailors. A dozen sailors!"

Professor Rowan approached the three teens, clearing his throat gruffly, the tell-tale sign of the beginning of a long, monotonous lecture. Dawn sighed as she received an earful of data about evolution and energy and linkage. She tried her best to retain most of that information because someday it might be useful. And it wasn't like she could go to Barry for any important stuff she missed. The restless boy was currently staring at the vacant spot above Professor Rowan's left shoulder, twitching occasionally, his mind occupied with who knows what. The only willing audience member was Lucas, nodding along and sometimes adding his own remarks into the seemingly endless droning.

"Incidentally, Dawn," Professor Rowan said in conclusion, snapping Dawn back to reality, "Kudos to your battling skills. You certainly had the role of the leader here. It got me thinking, why don't you kids collect all the gym badges of Sinnoh? You will encounter many pokemon along the way, a great help to my research. That said, you may keep the Pokemon and Pokedex. You are free to do with them as you wish."

"Thank you, professor." The three teens said in unison, before bidding their goodbyes to the professor and heading back to the Pokemon Center.

* * *

"I'm starting to feel it now." Barry declared, absentmindedly rubbing the bruises on his arms and cheek. "It really hurts."

"Well, who told you to ram those guys head first?" Dawn responded without sympathy. "You shouldn't get all heroic and stupid just because Lucas here got punched."

"W-What?" Barry stammered, blushing furiously. "That wasn't why….I-I-I was just worried about…Professor Rowan!"

Dawn held back a snicker, almost choking in the process.

"You know," Barry continued defensively, "He's so old and stuff. Those guys shouldn't be mugging old people."

"Yeah, that's true." Lucas nodded earnestly, completely failing to see through the charade. "What they did was really unforgivable."

When all appeared to be safe, Barry leaned close to Dawn, whispering angrily into her ear. "Good thing he's so dense. Otherwise I would have killed you."

Dawn flashed a smug grin. "Yeah, lucky for you. A dense boy to easily manipulate, you kinky thing."

Barry gasped, taken aback and thoroughly insulted, before giving Dawn a good shove.

"Hey, hey," Lucas immediately jumped between the two. "What's wrong with you guys? Don't start fighting."

"She started it! Barry protested right away.

Lucas turned to Dawn for any hints of disagreement, but she just shrugged. "Still," he continued, furrowing his brows, "You shouldn't push girls like that."

The other boy's disapproval seemed to have struck something tender, and Barry frowned, looking away.

"Look, it was my fault," Dawn cut it, this time showing genuine remorse. "I'm sorry, okay? You know I was just kidding."

"Yeah, whatever." Barry mumbled under his breath.

"So…" Lucas stared at both of them hesitantly, before stepping up to the pokemon center and holding open the door. "If we're all cool, let's go inside."

Dawn took a few sideways glances at Barry as they quietly followed Lucas inside. "Hey," she finally said softly to her best friend, "I don't know why this is so important to you, but I really hope he's…you know…gay and all…for your sake."

Barry nodded slightly, still avoiding eye contact, and Dawn couldn't help but wonder if it was healthy to like someone so much so quickly.

* * *

Author: Battles scenes are not fun to write. Hopefully the next chap would be easier for me.

Reviews are very much appreciated.


	9. Chapter 9: Prey

Author: Last chapter I post before leaving for college….bawww

Misakiluvusagi: Naw, I'm going to NYU. Staying in my state ;u;b

* * *

_**Dear Feelings **_

The trio arrived in Floaroma at noon the next day and immediately went their separate ways to explore. There weren't much to dwell on in this small town—just a few houses and shops and gigantic fields of flowers. The intoxicatingly sweet scent of the gardens that penetrated even beyond the gates of Floaroma made Dawn a bit dizzy and sleepy, as she groggily rubbed her eyes and nose upon leaving the pokemon center, scanning the surroundings for her boys. Barry, who went to Route 205 to catch more pokemon, was obviously nowhere in sight, but she quickly spotted Lucas by the flower shop, making idle chit-chat with a very enthusiastic shop girl.

"So you caught this little guy outside of Floaroma?" The shop girl half squealed and half giggled as she patted a Budew in Lucas's arms.

"Yeah, just this morning." Lucas smiled.

"Oh, but she seems to like you a lot already, for such a newly caught pokemon."

"I gave her some berries. I do for that all my new pokemon, so they know I'm a good trainer."

"Oh, wow…" The shop girl breathed out as Cupid's arrow struck its target She leaned a bit closer to the dark-haired boy, brushing past his arm. "They're so lucky to have you as their trainer…"

And that was when Dawn strode up to the pair, her iron grip clamping down on Lucas's shoulder, causing the boy to squirm a little.

"G-Gah…Dawn!" Lucas shifted awkwardly. "Don't sneak up on me like that…and that hurts."

Dawn withdrew her hand, although not at all remorseful, as her skeptical eyes darted back and forth between Lucas and the puzzled shop girl. She prayed that Barry never witnessed this shameless flirting, or Dawn might end up as the real victim here, doomed to an earful of whines and weeps about a broken heart.

"This is Christy," Lucas said awkwardly, as if he's introducing two strangers at some lame party. "She works at the Flower shop here. And this is Dawn. She's my friend. And we're traveling together. Along with this other guy."

Dawn scowled a little. _This other guy happens to be madly obsessed with you, if you're not so dense to realize it._

"We should be going now," she said sternly before grabbing Lucas by the elbow and steadily dragging him away.

"O-oh, okay," Lucas stuttered as he waved back to the shop girl, "Thanks for the berries and that sprayduck can thing. It was nice meeting you."

"No problem!" Christy yelled after them, somewhat disappointed. "Please visit again!"

Lucas jerked his arm free once he and Dawn were a good distance away from the flower shop. "That was awfully rude of you," he frowned a little before returning his Budew.

"Hey," Dawn said defensively, "I can honestly tell you that girl is more interested in you than your Budew."

"Really now?" Lucas had the audacity to look smug as he returned his gaze to the shop.

Dawn punched him in the arm. "Don't be such a pig! You're falling right into her trap!"

"Ow! Will you stop hurting me?"

"Well, stop being an idiot!" Dawn hissed. "And stop wasting time! I want to leave this place already!"

"I thought we should spend the night here," Lucas protested, "We won't be able to make it through Eterna forest before sun down. And besides…Why are you in such hurry to leave anyways."

"Well…y-you see…" Dawn struggled for an excuse. She couldn't reveal the truth for obvious reasons, and for every minute she hesitated, she was appearing more and more like a bitterly envious girlfriend. And Lucas, despite his remarkably thick skull, was catching on quickly.

"Don't tell me you're _jealous_." The boy flashed a sly grin which made Dawn want to punch him more than ever. And she did.

"Ugh, Dawn!" Lucas winced as he rubbed yet another bruise forming on his arm. "You're really not helping your cause here!"

"I am _not_ jealous, you egomaniac," Dawn said darkly, "I'm just…allergic," which wasn't a lie. Ever since coming to this dreadfully flowery place, the scent and pollen had been clogging Dawn's sinuses and making her groggy. "And I'm grumpy when I'm allergic."

Lucas furrowed his brows and examined Dawn's face for allergy symptoms, before replying apologetically. "Oh wow. I didn't realize that. Sorry about before…"

"Yeah, yeah, it's fine." Dawn waved a dismissive hand, silently thankful that Lucas was this easy to trick. "If we absolutely _have_ to stay here another day, I'll live."

"Alright, but for now, why don't we get some fresh air, hm?" The boy smiled. "We can see what's on Route 205."

Dawn nodded as the pair walked towards Floaroma's other entrance. It was a good plan, she thought, to keep an eye on Lucas because he was a well sought after prey, apparently. She snuck a few glances at the boy from time to time, still trying to pin point what was so goddamn gorgeous about him.

* * *

"Hey, little girl," Lucas, the Good Samaritan, asked with concern. "Why are you crying?"

"My papa and I live at the valley of Windworks," the little girl said between sniffs and sobs, "But then a whole bunch of people dressed like spacemen came…"

"That's Team Galactic, isn't it?" Dawn pointed out, "What do they want with the Valley of Windworks?"

"I-I don't know!" The little girl wailed even harder. "I miss my papa. Another trainer said he would help me, but I'm scared he got hurt too!"

"Another trainer?" Lucas asked as Dawn bit the corner of her lip, already somewhat suspecting.

"Mhm." The little girl nodded. "He has blond hair and runs really, really fast."

"That's definitely Barry." Dawn grabbed Lucas by the elbow again before sprinting down the route. "Come on! We have to help him!"

"D-Don't worry. We'll get your papa out!" Lucas stammered as he stumbled after Dawn. "That Barry sure gets around quickly…"

"That's because he spends no time thinking." Dawn said through gritted teeth, anger flaring once more. _That idiot's going to get himself killed!_

_

* * *

_

Author: I think this is a nice place to end.

Hopefully I'll get something up next week too.

Reviews are nice (:


	10. Chapter 10: Mesh

A/N: Oh man…After a year, you must think I'm crazy for wanting to continue with this.

I get so many positive feedback on this fic, and I just can't help wanting to go back to it.

Thanks for the many people who reviewed that last chapter. I left it on a cruel cliffhanger…I hope you all can forgive me.

* * *

_**Dear Feelings**_

"Damn it." Barry hissed under his breath as Turtwig flinched under the Glameow's fake out attack. "I hate that move!"

Turtwig grunted again when a series of scratches landed against the side of his shell. "Hang in there, Turtwig!" Barry yelled from the sideline as the Galactic Grunt's Glameow gracefully descended onto its paws, looking quite smug.

"Get lost kid, while you're still ahead!" the grunt half cackled. "There's no way I'm letting you into the Valley Windworks!"

"Don't underestimate me!" Barry yelled back furiously, falling way too quickly for the grunt's taunting. "Turtwig, razor leaf!"

A flurry of sharp, blade-like leaves smothered the galactic pokemon. A wail of pain escaped from the Glameow as it staggered backwards. It looked like a critical, which meant they were lucky.

"What are you doing, Glameow?" It was the grunt's turn to panic . "Hurry up and finish them off!"

The Glameow lunged for another scratch attack, and Barry knew there was no way to avoid it. "Withdraw!" He yelled out, hoping the boost in defense would reduce some of the damage. Turtwig withdrew into his shell as the scratch attack landed, making a screeching sound as claws skidded along the hard surface.

"You okay, Turtwig?" Barry shouted anxiously, but breathed out a sigh of relief when Turtwig resurfaced, looking a bit battered but well enough to keep on battling. "Finish off with razor leaf!"

Turtwig released another flurry of sharp leaves, and the foe's Glameow soon collapsed onto the grass in defeat. The grunt reluctantly returned the Glameow back into its pokeball, mumbling, "Yeah, like I'm really suppose to win with a pokemon like this... "

"I won fair and square," Barry said as Turtwig returned in a flash of red light. "Now get out of the way."

"N-No!" The grunt nearly squeaked. "I can't let you in! I was put in charge here to keep people out!"

"I don't freakin' care!" Barry tried to shove the other man out of the way. "A little girl is crying because you're keeping her dad in there."

The grunt shoved back before cackling again like a maniac. "But you can't do a thing if I lock myself in with my Works key!"

"_What_?"

Before Barry could react, the door was promptly slammed in his face. He could still hear the annoying, distant cackle from the other side of the door. The blonde's eyebrow twitched in irritation before he began to furiously bang on the door. "You coward!" he spat upon realizing the door was locked from the inside.

"That's right, the other Works Key's not here!" The grunt yelled giddily in safety. "My cohorts in the flower patch have the only other one! Hahaha! In that sense, I'm no longer the loser!"

"Well, thanks for telling me where it is!" Barry kicked the door once for good measure. "You better hope I never get in, because I will beat the crazy right out of you! You psycho freak of nature."

"Not a good day, I'm guessing?" Barry heard a familiar, slightly teasing voice and froze in mid-rampage. He turned around slowly, tense and wide-eyed, and found Lucas and Dawn standing behind him, the former faintly amused and the latter thoroughly pissed off.

"W-What are you doing here, guys?" Barry swallowed hard, avoiding the two pairs of dark blue eyes. "I-I know I should have told you guys about this...I guess I just..."

"You don't have to look so nervous," Lucas said with furrowed brows, "We're here to help."

"W-Well, tell that to the vein on her forehead!" Barry blurted out as he dramatically pointed a finger at Dawn. The vein seemed to pulse as Dawn twitched an eyebrow in annoyance.

"I'm sorry, alright?" Barry cried out, eyes darting back and forth between the vein and Dawn's accusing stare. "I know you hate it when I run off on my own, but I just got impatient and I forgot...I know I'm impatient and forgetful a lot. I was going to find you, honest! I wasn't going to go inside on my own...I'll call you next time, I promise. I swear to Arceus! I already made you number three on my speed-dial... You know since one is voicemail and two is my mom...Unless you want to be number two? I can put you before my mom...Oh God, Dawn! Stop looking so mad!"

"Three is fine." Dawn said calmly, appearing to be in full control of her cold fury. "I'm glad we cleared everything up. We will be going to the flower patch next, I'm presuming." She turned on her heel, her blue-black hair swirling behind her, as she motioned to return to Floaroma Town.

Lucas made a dramatic sidestep to stay out of Dawn's way as she passed, chuckling a little. "I guess it's obvious who wears the pants in this-"

Before he could even finish his remark, Dawn shot him a piercing stare. Lucas froze in midsentence, before chuckling again, this time more out of nervousness than amusement. "You have a very impressive Mean Look, Dawn. Has anyone ever told you that?"

That earned a small smirk from Dawn. "Airy compliments will get you nowhere. Now come on. We need to get that damn key."

Lucas shrugged sheepishly before following Dawn's footsteps, while Barry walked a few feet behind them, kicking slightly at the dirt under his feet. He glanced at the two retreating figures and sulked, feeling a whole mesh of unpleasant feelings-guilty for running off and making Dawn worry, angry from the previous battle with the galactic grunt, nervous by the sheer fact that Lucas was here, jealous that his best friend and his crush seemed to get along so comfortably, and guilty again for envying the friendship between two people he cared for the most in the world.

* * *

A/N: And just a quick list of pokemon our favorite trainers have:

Dawn: Piplup, Shinx

Lucas: Chimchar, Starly, Budew, Bidoof

Barry: Turtwig, Starly, Ponyta

Barry would probably have the same pokemon lineup as in the games, but I'll have to decide for Lucas and Dawn

Anyways, please review~ Your lovely feedback is what made me come back to this fic repeatedly~


	11. Chapter 11: Slip

A/N: Thanks for those who reviewed. Here's a quick update because I feel so guilty for keep on abandoning and coming back...

Hope you all enjoy~

* * *

_**Dear Feelings**_

"T-Thank you!" A middle aged, balding man half-sobbed, "You surely saved me. Those goons were trying to rob me of my sweet, sweet honey!"

He was still in the fetal position Dawn, Lucas, and Barry had found him when they entered the flower fields. Two Galactic grunts had towered over the victim, kicking and shoving, in attempt to pry the jars of viscous, golden liquid from the man's unyielding fingers. The trio promptly intervened, defeating the foes' Stunky and Zubats without much of a struggle and obtaining the Work's key in the process.

"You sure like your honey a lot..." Dawn remarked awkwardly. The man was almost cooing to his honey for goodness sake.

"Oh!" The man suddenly jumped to his feet, causing the three teens to take a step back. "I need to thank you! This sweet, sweet honey! Go on, take a whole lot!"

Before the trio could even protest, the honey salesman loaded their arms with the jars of honey he had risked his life to save.

"Y-You really don't have to do this," Lucas stuttered, but the man would hear none of it.

"You saved my life," the salesman repeated, "And my honey. So they are yours."

_Yeah, that makes sense._ Dawn rolled her eyes. It would be a hassle to lug around these jars while fighting Team Galactic, but Dawn would rather do so than endure another minute in this allergy inducing death trap of a flower field.

" Slather that honey on sweet-smelling trees," the salesman said with an air of pride. "It might attract Pokemon."

As the three teens departed Floaroma meadow, Barry turned to Dawn and asked quietly, "I wonder what kind of pokemon would be attracted to this."

Dawn shrugged. Honestly, she was just going to slather this on toast or add a dash to tea for breakfast.

* * *

"I'm one of Team Galactic's three Commanders." A red haired lady clad in metallic black and silver introduced herself. "...No, wait. That's one of four commanders. My name is Mars!"

An elder gentleman in a white lab coat next to the female commander chuckled slightly.

By the time Dawn, Lucas, and Barry had gotten back to the Valley Windworks, the sun was near setting. After a moment of mental preparation, Lucas unlocked the front door with a click to reveal inside the crazy spaz of a grunt Barry had defeated earlier, who made no hesitation in alerting their commander right away. The trio defeated the two other grunts guarding the interior of the Valley Windworks, and now they have arrived at the core. Amidst the machines and laboratory equipment stood the two Galactic higher ups and a hostage scientist forced to labor.

"Hey!" Lucas yelled out to the startled victim. "Don't worry. We'll get you out of here."

"Oh, no no no, little boy," Mars nearly cooed, "Very rude of you to ignore me like that. This is Team Galactic you are meddling with."

"What you're doing is wrong," Lucas said sternly, "Don't you realize that?"

Mars sneered at the three teens. "We're trying to create a new world that's better than this one, but people have shown little understanding about what we do... "

"Well, you're not very good at selling your point." Dawn piped in. "Stop stealing from people. It makes them angry."

Mars narrowed her eyes. " I don't expect silly children like you to understand. So, let's have a battle to decide what we should do next."

The Galactic commander released her first pokemon, and a Zubat screeched as if flew into the vacant space below the ceiling.

"Yeah, how else would we solve anything around here," Dawn mumbled under her breathe before reaching for the pokeball that contained Shinx. If Dawn had learned anything from her brief travel experiences so far, it was to always exploit type disadvantages. "I got this one."

Shinx defeated Zubat quickly after two rounds of sparks, but Mars did not seem intimidated by the loss of her first pokemon. She merely clicked her tongue before reaching for her second pokeball. "Think you can do the same again?"

Purugly appeared in a flash of red, dark eyed and hissing viciously. And for the first time since arriving at the Valley Windworks, Dawn swallowed hard and thought to herself, _oh shit_.

That Purugly was _huge_.

Mars smirked at Dawn's apprehension. "You're playing with the big boys now...or should I say girls. I'm a whole other league compared to those grunts you slap around here and there."

Dawn gritted her teeth as Shinx was hit with a fake out that did a lot more damage than any fake out she had ever seen.

"Shinx, spark!" Dawn yelled out as Shinx recovered from flinching.

"Nuh-uh," Mars sing-songed, "Way too slow, dear. Faint attack."

The giant cat pokemon vanished before reappearing right in front of Shinx, knocking the smaller pokemon to the side with fatal blow. Shinx staggered and tried to counter with a spark but missed due to the damage.

How can that overweight feline be so _fast_, and not to mention _strong?_ Dawn was starting to panic, as Mars ordered Purugly to finish off with a scratch attack.

But before the attack could hit, a pokeball struck the giant cat on the head, causing the pokemon to freeze in its action and blink a little. Dawn turned her head to see Barry, the culprit who threw the device, standing beside her. The pokeball opened as it hit the ground, releasing Turtwig.

"I want to help," Barry said to Dawn, shuddering a little in anticipation. "Let Shinx rest for now."

"You think you can beat them?" Dawn wasn't sure if she sounded rude. She wasn't trying to, but the filter between her thoughts and words was thinning. She was slightly shaken up.

"Not more than you do," Barry laughed slightly. Dawn was surprised that he wasn't bragging. The circumstances must've been dire.

"Stepping up for your little girlfriend?" Mars taunted. "No use playing hero. You won't win either."

"S-She's not my girlfriend." Barry only managed to respond lamely. He was shaken up too.

It was Lucas's turn to step up now, as he placed a hand on Barry's shoulder. Barry nearly jumped a foot.

"I want to help too," the dark haired boy said, completely oblivious to the blonde's discomfort. "Call back Turtwig. I think I might know a way out of this."

"Stepping up for _boyfriend_?" Mars nearly giggled. "You kids are too much fun! But whatever. One after the other, or all at the same time, you won't beat me."

"H-He's not my boyfriend." Barry flushed while Lucas seemed to take no heed. Dawn would have face-palmed if they weren't in such a dismal situation.

"You think you can beat them?" Dawn asked the question again, but this time to Lucas.

Lucas tilted his head slightly, eyes glued to the ground. He began to talk after a moment of consideration, his tone hesitant and even somewhat ashamed. "There's something I need to tell you guys...I should have said it sooner, but everything just got caught up. It's not the best time, but I'm telling you guys now-"

And Dawn, under the stress, the intimidation, the pending doom, and the secrecy, accidently uttered. "That you're gay?"

"_What_?" Lucas turned to stare at Dawn in shock. Mars arched an amused brow at the trio.

Barry elbowed Dawn in the stomach not so gently, obviously mortified. Dawn made a grunting sound, stared back at the two boys, almost in equal shock. _Did I just say that out loud_?

"Did you just...?" Lucas blinked a few times.

"As in carefree." Dawn quickly attempted to recover, pushing past Barry and shoving Lucas closer to the scene of the battle. "Didn't you say you could handle this?"

"Yeah," Lucas responded, somewhat disturbed, "Chimchar evolved. I didn't get to tell you guys before."

Dawn winced and nodded to herself slightly. _Now that made sense. Why didn't I think of that instead?_

Lucas released his first pokemon, the newly evolved Monferno, and the chimpanzee-like pokemon immediately jumped in front to face the Galactic Purugly.

"About what you said before-" Lucas returned his attention to Dawn briefly, confusion in his features.

"Now is not the time!" Dawn immediately cut the boy off, desperately trying to stall time and fix the mess she just made. "Battle. Go, go."

"Right," Lucas swallowed before yelling out to Mars, "You will be battling me now, hope you won't mind."

Mars smirked. "Cut the formalities and bring it already!"

As Lucas focused all of his attention to the battle, Barry gripped Dawn's shoulder and twirled her around. "What the hell was that?" He whispered angrily.

"I'm sorry!" Dawn whispered back, "It just slipped out! I have no idea!" She couldn't believe it either, and she doubt she could convince Barry the same.

* * *

A/N: I had a little trouble writing this chapter...Battle scenes are not fun, so I tried to make the Clingy plot progress a little in the midst of it.

Hopefully it wasn't...bad ):

Anyways, please review if you read! Thanks~


	12. Chapter 12: Keeper

A/N: Thank you for those who reviewed~ Some of your comments really amused me haha

And yeah...Dawn and Lucas seem to be really hitting it off so far...but I'm determined to make this Clingy...so it will be Clingy ;A;9

And sorry about cliffhangers...I hate them too, but that's the only way I know how to end things lol..

* * *

_**Dear Feelings**_

"Mach Punch!" Lucas yelled out as Monferno landed the attack that finally ended the battle. The Galactic Purugly tumbled over in defeat as the chimpanzee-like pokemon stood not far away, panting heavily.

"Oops," Mars said as she raised her hand to her chin, "I messed that one up!"

Lucas exhaled a breath of relief as he returned Monferno.

"It's alright, though." Mars mused as she did the same to Purugly. "I quite enjoyed our battle."

The elderly gentleman in the lab coat, long forgotten by both parties, finally spoke up, chuckling. "My, my. Lose to a child will you? But, no matter. We've collected plenty of electricity."

The gentleman stepped forward, introducing himself as Charon, another commander behind Team Galactic. "With the energy we've collected, we could do something spectacular," Charon continued, "But now, Mars, we should be going."

"Will you shut it!" Mars nearly shrieked, " the boss is the only person in the world who's allowed to order me around! You only joined us recently! Don't think you're important."

She huffed before making an exit, stepping over the mess of the battle scene and towards where the trio stood. "I guess it's time to say good-bye and leave for the time being."

Mars paused as she approached Lucas, her hand briefly shuffling through a hidden compartment in her outrageous uniform. "Aha," she said as she picked out a small piece of paper and smoothly slid it into Lucas's breast pocket.

Lucas flinched a little as Mars touched him. "H-Hey! What are you doing?"

"My card." Mars gave a small grin. "In case you ever come to your senses and understand the work we do. I'm quite impressed with your skills as a trainer, and I'll be glad to hook you up with a mission and your own set of grunts."

"Thanks," Lucas said a little hesitantly, still trying to be polite. "But I don't think..."

"Just in case," Mars winked, "And we wouldn't care if you fuck guys or girls, both or neither."

Dawn let out a sigh of despair. _So much for hoping that Lucas would forget about everything after the battle._

Mars sing-songed a final farewell before stepping out, followed by Charon and the rest of the grunts. Lucas just stood there, flushed and speechless. Dawn stared dejectedly at her shoes, scrambling her brain for a possible explanation. She dared not to meet eyes with Barry.

* * *

"And so it just slipped out." Dawn said miserably as she rationed the last bit of berries she had gathered during her travels. "I accused him of being in the closet right in the middle of a battle with Team Galactic."

Sitting before her were Piplup and Shinx, along with a new acquaintance, a Drifloon. Her three pokemon companions stared up at her with beady eyes as she handed each of them a portion of berries again. Dawn gave them a sad smile. "It's like I'm paying you guys in berries to listen to my problems."

After the battle against Mars, the trio had been awkwardly silent. As the little girl and her papa showered them with undying gratitude, all they could do was nod and smile and bid a small farewell. When they were interrogated by the Looker outside of the Valley Windworks, the trio stuck to the facts, and only the relevant facts regarding to Team Galactic. And upon arriving to the Pokemon Center by nightfall, the three teens returned to their respective beds and called it a night.

However, Dawn was unable to sleep because of the guilt. Yes, that was it, along with clogged sinuses and bleary eyes. Allergies really do suck. It's like nature's rejecting you, or maybe the other way around. But regardless, you feel discomfort.

Dawn snuck out of the Pokemon Center at the break of daylight and wandered aimlessly down Route 205, entranced in her thoughts. That was when she encountered a strange pokemon by the entrance of the Valley Windworks. The Drifloon was just floating there, and Dawn had every intention to capture it at first, but her depression got the best of her. Instead, she traded some berries for a presence to talk to.

"It's just been really hard lately," Dawn lowered her head, her raven-blue hair cascading over her shoulders, "From fighting off Team Galactic, and trying to keep up with Barry and Lucas skill-wise. I mean they both are exceptional trainers, I'll admit to you guys."

The three pokemon made some small sounds of sympathy, which was enough prompt for Dawn to continue. "And not to mention Barry, my best friend, and his stupid crush on Lucas, the densest guy you could possibly find. This really puts me in a difficult spot, because I'm the secret-keeper."

"Barry always gives me this hurt look," Dawn winced a little, "Like I'm doing something terrible to him every time I'm around Lucas. Do you know why Lucas and I get along so well? Because we are just friends. We are comfortable with each other. There's no hidden intention, no fear of rejection. This is how it's supposed to be."

Her pokemon companions blinked a little, still nibbling at their berries, and Dawn sighed. "And I guess it doesn't help that I blurted out that Lucas was gay, not that I actually know which way he swung. Barry is probably furious. I want to apologize and fix this, but I don't even know where to begin...So I did the cowardly thing and ran away."

She smiled a little at her avid listeners, feeling a little less alone now that she was able to rant. "I wonder if you guys can actually understand what I'm saying. But it means a lot regardless." She gave Piplup and Shinx a gentle pat on the head before returning them to their respective pokeballs.

Dawn stood up, straightening the creases from his coat, before directing her attention to the wild Drifloon. "It was nice meeting you," she said, "But I have a question to ask you, and please don't feel obliged to say yes."

The Drifloon gave her a confused head tilt before Dawn took out an empty pokeball, extending her hand towards the pokemon. The thought of bribing the Drifloon with berries came into mind, but Dawn decided against it last minute, in order to be classy. Thus, she merely said, "I'm a trainer, aspiring to become stronger from my travels throughout Sinnoh. It would make me very happy if you joined us. Would you please do so?"

And the Drifloon seemed happy to oblige.

* * *

A/N: And in my pursuit to make the Clingy plot progress, Lucas and Barry would be the center focus of the next chapter. (Since Dawn is away talking to her pokemon)

Hopefully something will develop, yes?

Reviews are loved, so please and thank you!~


	13. Chapter 13: Obsession

**A/N: I'm sorry for the long-ish wait..but I'm in college now, and just warning you, things will be slow for the next three month**

**Again, I'm so sorry but that is my life for the next three years. I really just die when my classes start**

**Thank you for those who reviewed. I swear my readers are the only thing motivating me from discontinuing this fic (and also the fact that Lucas/Barry is just plain adorable)**

**OH and thought I should change my name to something remotely similar to what most people know me as (call me Chess)**

* * *

_**Dear Feelings**_

Lucas descended the stairs of the Pokemon Center to find Barry poking at his cereal alone. Finding the sight of a Dawn-less Barry slightly strange, the dark haired boy did not hesitate to pull up a chair next to him. Barry jumped slightly as Lucas plopped himself across the table, biting into an apple.

Lucas gave a small half-dimpled smile and said causally, "Good morning."

Barry nodded in return, looking slightly uncomfortable, but Lucas took no heed. Now was his chance to prod.

"Dawn isn't around?" He asked feigning disinterest. Lucas had not forgotten what Dawn had blurted the day before. He was not mortified of her remark, and certainly he was not angry; just confused like always, maybe even a little perturbed. He considered many times to confront Dawn, but she seemed so oddly ashamed and avoiding that Lucas felt compelled to reassess his approaches. Now there Barry was, eating breakfast by himself, and Lucas knew it was the perfect opportunity for him to get some clarity.

"No, I haven't seen her since last night." Barry replied after swallowing a little.

"You guys usually sleep in the same room, right?" Lucas was being cautious. "Not last night though?"

The fidgety blond kept his head low. "She was there when I fell asleep. Gone when I woke up."

"I always thought it was strange...how you two share a room."

"Yeah?" Barry seemed to be replying cautiously too, looking wary yet expecting at the same time.

"I just thought that," Lucas said in the most flippant tone possible. People are always more willing to open up to you when you seem like you know nothing. "Shouldn't we be sharing a room? Since we are both guys?"

"_W-What?_" Barry nearly gagged. "I-I mean...Do you _want_ to?"

"No, no," Lucas responded immediately, "Not if you don't want to. I mean I'm fine either way. Just thought that girls usually want their privacy, because they don't want to feel as if they are being...you know?" He gave the other boy a sheepishly suggestive eye-brow arc.

Barry snorted. "Oh believe me, I am not attracted to her in that way _at all_." And then, an interesting look of silent alarm washed over the blonde's face.

Lucas took notice, but he couldn't really explain it yet. "I get it," he smiled understandingly, "because you two grew up together so she's like a sister to you. And that's why it's weird. Am I right?"

Barry looked somewhat relieved, but there was hint of forlornness that told Lucas he hadn't completely hit the mark. "Yeah...something like that."

Lucas sighed. These two sure were an enigma, nearly impossible to figure out─Barry with his unpredictability and swift avoidance, and Dawn with her protectiveness and solemn secrecy. These two had known each other for their entire lives, and Lucas, seeing through the eyes of an outsider, struggled to keep up.

But that was when Barry said something oddly revealing. "Do you like Dawn? You know...like _like_."

Lucas blinked a little in confusion. "I never thought about it but..." He gave a lop-sided smile. "After what she said about me yesterday, I doubt she thinks of me that way though."

And Barry broke eye contact again, returning his attention back to his cereal. Lucas wondered if he had said something wrong, but now that he finally got back to what he wanted to say originally, there was no way he was turning back. "So, yesterday...You know why she would say that?"

"No," the blonde replied grudgingly, "Do you?"

"I wouldn't be asking you if I did." Lucas backed off, replying casually again. "Just thought she might've mentioned something to you. You two _are_ best friends."

Barry's expression was always a mixture, and it was difficult for Lucas to distinguish one from the other. Was he hesitant or embarrassed? Frustrated or guilty? Or maybe he was just feeling really awkward because Lucas was being a no good prod. Nonetheless, Barry finally said after a drag of silence, "There's nothing wrong with being...you know...what Dawn said."

Lucas laughed a little, more out of humor than meanness. "Yeah, I know. And I'm surprised actually."

"Why?"

"Because you never asked if I actually am."

Barry's mouth opened and closed it. No doubt he was tempted, and Lucas couldn't help but chuckle at the blonde's reaction. "I mean I didn't think it would be so up to debate but I'm─"

Before Lucas can even finish the sentence, Barry slammed his hands down on either side of his cereal and got up abruptly. Words failed to escape the dark-haired boy's lips as he simply stared, shocked at the sudden turn of events

"It's none of my business," Barry said before rushing past the other boy, "I think I'll look for Dawn now. See you later." And then, he was gone.

"Uhh...okay...bye." Lucas watched the closed door behind which the blond disappeared behind, his brows furrowed in confusion. _Maybe he doesn't want to know?_

* * *

Barry found Dawn sitting by the grass in the Valley Windworks. He promptly greeted her, without resentment, without anger, without anything really, much to her surprise.

"I didn't think we would be talking this soon." Dawn said quietly as she rose to her feet. She met his eyes after smoothing the wrinkles of her skirt, and her heart immediately sank. He seemed tired, even empty, as if his mind was trapped elsewhere. And Dawn bit her lips, wishing her best friend would scream, cry, or throw a tantrum like he always did, but he just seemed defeated, his sunset-hued eyes dull.

"I know he's not." Barry said so softly that Dawn wasn't sure if he said anything at all. "But I can't bear to hear it."

The blonde's hollow visage broke just a little. "He was one word away from telling me, and I stopped him. Because I know it's not what I want to hear."

"Barry...I" Dawn wasn't sure what to say. Should she say she was sorry? Was that what her best friend needed to hear?

"What do I do, Dawn?" Barry pleaded, desperate, and Dawn struggled to keep her own composure. "I'm obsessed. I don't want to be, but I am. And it hurts so much. What do I do?"

"I don't know." Dawn could only manage. "But I'm here for you.

* * *

**Not a very happy Clingy moment but a Clingy moment nonetheless. Please don't kill me but things will be slow from now on D:**

**And thanks to Hitting Reality for pointing out my inconsistent spelling of Lucas's name. I went back and fixed all of them haha **

**Leave a review please~**


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